QuakeIndex

quarry blast · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Bonita, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Bonita in the 24 hours to 1:02 pm PST (21:02 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 175 km (109 mi) E, at 10:27 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 321 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Bonita

No: USGS classifies this as a quarry blast, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.8 quarry blast was recorded 6 km (4 mi) southeast of Bonita, CA, at 1:34 pm PDT on 22 June 2021 (20:34 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 6km SE of Bonita, CA

in Chula Vista, CA

1:34 pm PDT, Jun 22, 2021 · · -0.4 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Diego County 49 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
1:34 pm PDT on 22 June 2021 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) southeast of Bonita, CA · earthquakes near Bonita
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
-0.4 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Diego County, 49 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 12 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1968 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Bonita, 6 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Chula Vista, La Presa, National City, Imperial Beach, Spring Valley, Lemon Grove.

USGS catalogues this as quarry blast, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 32.6222, -116.9843. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Diego County, CA 49 km (30 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Diego County
Orange County, CA 138 km (86 mi) NNW earthquakes near Orange County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

47 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.7 5km NNE of San Ysidro, CA
  2. 1.7 5km SE of Chula Vista, CA
  3. 1.6 6km SE of Chula Vista, CA
  4. 1.8 5km NE of San Ysidro, CA
  5. 1.5 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  6. 1.6 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  7. 1.8 5km SE of Chula Vista, CA
  8. 1.7 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  9. 1.5 3km NNE of Rancho San Diego, CA
  10. 1.8 6km NE of San Ysidro, CA
  11. 1.7 24km W of Rosarito, B.C., MX
  12. 1.5 7km NNW of Lakeside, CA
  13. 1.8 16km WSW of La Jolla, CA
  14. 1.7 6km ESE of Chula Vista, CA
  15. 1.5 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.